From Somewhere in Time

No prizes for guessing where this is. It's Tom Tower, and Lewis Carroll's rooms were for many years just to the right of it, slightly out of the picture. (He must have been deafened by the bells, I always think)

The 150th anniversary of the telling of Alice in Wonderland is on July 4 2012, but the main celebrations will take place on Alice's Day, Oxford's annual Wonderland-fest. Many of the activities are aimed at families, so if you live anywhere near Oxford, do take a look at the Lewis Carroll Society's Events Page . Many Oxford institutions, such as Blackwells, the Ashmolean Museum and the Museum of Oxford and the Museum of the HIstory of Science are organising special events.

There really are too many things to list in detail, but I like the idea of the many walks that are scheduled. (click the link for more details). Lewis Carroll was an indefatigable walker, and even at the end of his life, in his sixties, he was taking long walks of over twenty miles at great speed!

I can particularly recommend Mark Davies, an expert on Oxford's waterways, with his "Alice in Waterrland" talk. Below is the view out of Mark's boat, as I took a trip down the river in September 2009 to Godstow



If you want to see what the trip was like, click this link. It was a most delightful experience.

The government' wants to transfer administration of the efficient and politically impartial Public Lending Right to a government body which has, ominously, not yet been specified.

So if you live in the UK, please consider signing this petition to help any writers you may know! (click here for the link)

Yes, this is a real teapot - and isn't this a cool object? I got it from a blog called Altered Alice. Yoshi, from Japan, told me about it, and you can find their post about Mad Hatter Day here!

It is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and I'm rather excited. Lewis Carroll was patriotic and a teeny bit of a snob so I am sure this Fortnum and Mason Jubilee Tea would have been the ideal gift for him this weekend.

Not only does it bring mad tea parties to mind, but it also shows the Lion and the Unicorn. Carroll referred to the old song in the scene with Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

I would to be honest like a tin of this tea myself. I love the design of Fortnum's Jubilee merchandise.